Weaving dual time frames, the book is based on the true stories of passengers on the ill-fated transatlantic ocean liner the St Louis, carrying Jewish refugees from Germany to Cuba in 1939.

We follow the life of a young girl Hannah Rosenthal, who until recently lived a charmed upbringing. With the rise of the Nazis, however, the streets are increasingly draped in ominous flags and Hannah is no longer welcome in the places she once considered home. A glimmer of hope appears in the shape of the St. Louis, the transatlantic liner promising Jews safe passage to Cuba. At first, the liner feels like a luxury, but as the Rosenthal family’s journey progresses and the circumstances of war change, the ship that was to be their salvation seems likely to become their doom.